Children Left Behind by Labour Migration: Supporting Moldovan and Ukrainian Transnational Families in the EU
Duration
June 2021 - December 2023Budget
EUR 964,720.65 (94,88% from AMIF)
Implemented by
This Action is being implemented by Babeș-Bolyai University, in collaboration with Terre des Hommes Elveția, Terre des Hommes Moldova, Terre des Hommes Ukraine, the Ukrainian Institute for Social Research after Oleksandr Yaremenko and the Academy of Economic Studies of Moldova.
‘Children Left Behind by Labour Migration’ is a 30-month action that aims to support the Republic of Moldova and Ukraine in improving their child protection frameworks and migration and mobility policies, with a focus on the social and legal impacts of labour migration on transnational families. While circular and temporary labour schemes have often proven beneficial to the economies and cooperation dialogues of both countries of origin and destination, these programmes can exacerbate the vulnerabilities of the children left in the country of origin in comparison with their peers.
Partners
Activities
In-depth qualitative research
In the context of this action, a Research Centre (aimed at obtaining the status of Centre of Excellence) for the study of transnational families will be established within the Babeș-Bolyai University of Romania. The Research Centre will seek to advance research on dimensions of social inclusion, including the risks, needs and opportunities encountered by children, and to develop an intersectional qualitative analysis of children’s rights in transnational family contexts.
Awareness raising
The knowledge generated by the Research Centre will serve to identify policy and capacity gaps in the Migration and Mobility frameworks and practices of the governments of Moldova and Ukraine, as well as EU Member States. The results of the studies on transnational families will be translated into operational interventions combining training and awareness-raising activities, with the aim of better informing the design of appropriate protection frameworks and safeguarding the rights of children left behind and their families.
Capacity building and support to transnational cooperation
By providing research findings with the potential to feed into policy-making processes and through capacity building and dissemination of best practices, the action will aim to strengthen institutional support for transnational families and promote safe and ethical labour migration schemes in line with child protection standards. The partnership between the Research Centre for the study of Transnational Families at the Babeș-Bolyai University, the Academy of Economic Studies of Moldova and the Ukrainian Institute for Social Research after Oleksandr Yaremenko will enable the visibility of research results and overall cooperation between universities, government institutions, the private sector and civil society in the target countries and EU Member States.
